To Ken Payne and Others:
I still have the original Pirelli's on that came with the car - I
believe 205/60 V-rated radials. They seen to chomp through the snow
nicely, kick gravel back very nicely and effectively remove the paint as
they go along their merry way.
I had one instance where I drove on a very icy roadway for about 70
miles and was able to maintain a speed of about 50-60 mph. I had a
stiff crosswind at one point and that brought me down to about 40, I
suppose.
I had another instance when the day warmed up, the winds came up and
then blew snow across the highway that eventually froze in place and
created long slick spots interspersed with dry, bare pavement. Those
are pain in the butt conditions and I was about 140 miles from home. I
tried to hold the car at a steady 70 mph and, when I hit the icy
patches, just let the friction bring the speed down a bit naturally
without de-accelerating. The car would come down to about 65 mph when
running through a longer stretch and then, when I would come upon the
bare pavement again, I would get a little sense of a "fishtail" just as
it came off the ice and onto the pavement. That is due to the front
tires feeling the bite first and just before the rear ones.
The Morgan itself is rock-solid in these conditions and I am, frankly,
impressed with the Pirellis. I am usually more partial to Donlops as I
know and really trust those tires in these conditions. I don't recall
the number for sure - A2, I think.
I did also take the Morgan out one nite when it was so cold that I could
barely turn the steering wheel and get where I want to go. I assume
that happened because all that grease in both the steering sector and in
the sliding pillar front suspension system had gotten stiff. It really
wasn't all that cold - probably about 10-15 below - but I think we had a
minus 30 or 40 wind chill factor that nite. I was trying to turn a
corner on a snow-packed street and it just wasn't responding very well.
So, I brake it a bit harder, car starts to slide a smidgen, a parked car
started to look bigger and bigger - so I goose it a tiny bit and sort of
"snake" by. Lovely!
I guess you learn a little bit as you go along!
Later, Arlo Levisen, Revillo, SD - 1987 Morgan Plus 8
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